Fire-escape.



n1635524. y Patented ont. 24, |899. E. TERnoEsT.

F I R E E S C A P E.

(Applicationjled May 22, 1899.)

(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented not. 24, |899. E. B. TERnoEsT.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed May 22, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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PATENT OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 635,524, dated October24, 1899. Application nea May 22, 1899. Serin No. 717,803. (No man.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EGBERT B. TERDonsT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, ofwhich the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to certain improvements in fire-escapes, and hasfor its object to provide a device of this character of a simple andinexpensive nature and of a strong, compact, and durable constructionwhich shall be adapted for use in carrying the occupants of a burningbuilding from the upper stories to the ground and shall be soconstructed as to automatically return after one person has safelyreached the ground to the story on which it is mounted in order toreceive other persons in the building.

My invention consists in certain novel features of the construction,combination, and arrangement of the various parts of the improvedfire-escape whereby certain important advantages are attained and thedevice is made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise better adapted and moreconvenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings,\vl.1ich serve to illustrate my invention,Figure 1 is a side view showing a fire-escape constructed according tomy invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the device, the spring-casing and spring for releasing thebrake being broken away to show the parts behind. Fig. 4 is an end viewof the device, showing the brake and actuating means therefor. Fig. 5 isa detailed sectional view taken in the plane indicated byline Qca;

brake-lever and its extension.

In the views, l indicates the bed-plate, ,on which the mechanism of theimprovod fireescape is mounted, said bed-plate having at one end a pairof uprights or standards 2, having journaled in their upper ends ahorizontal shaft 3. The standards 2 are spaced apart to receive betweenthem a spring-barrel 4, fixed on shaft 3 and having coiled on it ahelical spring 5, one end of which is secured to the barrel, while theopposite end thereof on another vertical shaft 13, also journaled A inplates 1 and 10 and carrying a spur-gear 14,which meshes with a gear 15on a vertical shaft 16, journaled in plates 1 and 10 and extending upVabove plate 10 similarly to shaft 9. The upper end of shaft 16 carries abevel-gear 17, which meshes with a bevelgear 18 on a horizontal shaft19, alined axially with shaft 3, but at the opposite end of the frame,said shaft 19 being journaled in uprights or standards 20, similar tothe standards 2, and also spaced apart to receive between them a drum2l, held on said shaft 19 and having wound on it a flexible metal tapeor ribbon 22, preferably made from steel or other material of suitablestrength and serving to carry on its outer end a suitable support 23 forthe descending person. The support 23 may be of any kind, such as abasket, step, or sling. The tape or ribbon 22 is arranged to pass overan idler 24, held on a bolt 25 at the end of an arm 26, which extendslaterally from the end of the brakelever 27, which latter is pivoted atits rear end on Yan arm or standard 2S, extending up from thebed-plate 1. The brake-lever 27 carries a shoe 27h, held in a suitablesocket by means of screw 27a and arranged to bear frictionally on theperiphery of a grooved friction wheel or pulley 30, held on the shaft19, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. To the lever 27 is secured theupper end of a rod 3l, which extends down into a sleeve or housing 33and has an enlarged end bearing on a spiral spring 32, held in saidhousing, the tension of the spring 32 being exerted to normally hold thebrake-lever, with its shoe,out of operative engagement with vthefriction-wheel 30.

The fire-escape will ordinarily be placed in the room near a Window andmay be secured to the floor or to the wall, so as to give it suitablestability, and in use the support 23 is placed outside the window X inposition to IOO receive the person about to descend. As the Weight ofthe person is applied to the tape 22 it is unwound from the drum 21 andalso draws downward on the idler 24E, so as to move the brake-lever 27pivotally to press the brakeshoe 27b on friction-wheel 30, whereby thespeed of rotation of the shaft 19 and drum 21 and the consequentunwinding of the tape 22 and lowering of the support 23 are checked. Atthe same time the rotative movement of the shaft 19 is communicatedthrough the gearing above described to shafts 1G, 13, 9, and 3, so as toturn the spring-barrel a and wind up the helical spring 5 thereon. Vhenthe support 23 has been lowered to the ground and the person therein hasalighted, the tension of the springs 5 and 32 will be exerted to raisethe brake-lever 27 and release the friction-wheel 30 from the shoe ofsaid lever and also to turn the shaft 3 in the direction opposite tothat in which it was turned in winding up said spring andlowering saidsnpport 23, the rotative movement of said shaft being communicatedthrough the gearing to shafts 9, 13, 16, and 19, so as to wind up thetape or ribbon 22 on drum 21 and to again raise the support 23 to thewindow X in position to receive another person to belowered to theground.

If desired, the brake-lever 27 may be provided with an adjustableextension 34, having a yoke 35 to slide on said lever, as shown in Figs.Il and 5, and provided with an idler 36 at its end and over which theflexible tape or ribbon 22 passes. By this means the eX- tension 34 maybe arranged to ext-end over the window-sill to relieve the wear of thetape or ribbon thereon and also to permit of adjusting the leverageexerted on the shoe of friction-wheel. Also where desired the escape maybe mounted, as shown in Fig. 4, upon a piece of metal tubing 37, screwedin a socket 38 on the under side of a bed-plate l and also screwing on asocket 39, secured to the floor.

From the above description it will be seen that my improved fireescape:is of an eX- tremely simple and inexpensive construction and isespecially well adapted for use, since it is perfectly safe andautomatic in its operation, and it will also be obvious that the deviceis capable of some modification without material departure from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do notwish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form andarrangement of the several parts herein set forth.

I-Iavin g thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a fire-escape, thecombination of a drum, a tape arranged to wind thereon, and adapted tocarry a support, a shaft, a frictionwheel on the shaft, a brake deviceengaging with said friction-wheel controlled by said tape and arrangedto check the rotation of said drum, and a spring connected to said drumand arranged to be placed under tension when the drum is turned to lowersaid support and also arranged when under tension and released Vto drivethe drum in the opposite direction to wind said tape thereon anda springto automatically release the brake from the friction-wheel,substantially as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination of a shaft, a drum thereon, a tapewound on the drum, a support carried by the tape, a friction-wheel 'onthe shaft, a brakedever controlled by the tape and having a shoeengaging said friction-wheel, a spring to hold said lever with its shoeout of operative engagement with the friction-wheel and means actuatedby the rotation of said drum in unwinding said tape to turn said drum inthe opposite direction, to wind the tape thereon, sub stantially as setforth.

3. In a fire-escape the combination of a shaft, a drum thereon, a tapewound on the drum, a support carried by the tape, a friction-wheelcarried by the shaft, av brake-lever having a shoe engaging saidfriction-wheel a spring to hold said lever with its shoe out ofoperative engagement with the friction-wheel, an idler carried by thebrakedever and over which the tape passes and means actuated by therotation of said drum in unwinding said tape to turn said drum in theopposite direction to wind up the tape thereon, substantially as setforth.

4. In a fire-escape the combination of two shafts gearing connecting theshafts, a drum on one shaft, a tape wound on the drum, a support carriedby the tape, a brake device controlled by said tape and arranged tocheck the rotation of said drum, and a spring connected to the othershaft and arranged to be put under tension by the rotation of the drumin unwindin g said tape and also arranged when under tension to drivethe drum in the opposite direction, to wind the tape thereon IOO

